The Irish standard., 1887-08-20
WORKING TOGETHER.
The Extent of cooperative Enterprise In
All Parts of the Union.

q partial census OF the cooperative IN
dertakings in the United States by investi
gators of the Economic Association show!
that there is much more cooperation il
this country than is generally supposed
According to the New York CORES sponden
of the Philadelphia Press, reports hav,
been received from New England, the mid
DIZZY estern States. and, with minute de
tail, from Minnesota. Both distri butivf
and productive cooperation are included
in the inquiry. In New England there are
at least dfty-three establishments engaged
in distribu5ive cooperation. More famil
iarly these are known as cooperative
stores. About one-half, or twentv-eight
sixteen in Maine. two in New Hampshire
and one in Rhode Island. Most Of these
have been organized since 1870; Que dates
back to 1917 and another to 1850 These
two early ones and another founded il
1885 are the only survivals of the old union
stores OF forty years ago, AT cne time
there were 106 of these. Somewhat SINH
lar are the Grange stores, which are pat.
ronized by the Is, 900 or 1000 members of
this organization. These Grange stores in
the East are confined to Maine, New Hamp-
shire and Connecticut They are the sur
.viyal Of the fttest and have success sful
basis
OF the fifty-thres stores thirty two re.
portan aggregate capital Of 5000, the
amount Of each ranging from 81 200 to $40,
co., Tn general the par value Of a share is
IS. This is significant as indicating. the
possibility Of investment by the poor man..
The NUN ber Of shareholders in fifty two
companies is $40, which indicates rather
wide interest The trade reported by the
thir rty-t three stores making full returns is
800, ,00O. AS many of the stores turned
over their capital more than twelve times
during the year, it may be safely stated
that the entire business of ributivc
cooperation in England was 3, 900, coo dur
ing the past year.
In the West the Grange store has not
generally survived the mlsfortunes OF it's
earlier days. In Illinois there were at one
time cooperative stores in one-ha1f the
counties of the State. These have been
mostly failures. In Michigan there are
three semi-successful stores; in Indiana
and Ohio little remains of former prosper
ity The idea has been better realized in
Kansas, where at the present time there
are twenty or thirty small stores. The
oldest and most successful is at Olathe,
which has increased its sales from S4l, coo
IN 1850 TO SSlV: NVU IN 1850.
The efforts of the Knights Of Labor or of
other labor organizations are TOO recent to
justify much mention. In 1886 eminent
N this direction rapidly crystallized and
labor stores were established. 1t IS here
thai interest in the future wilt oe the
greatest A unique, though rot, perhaps,
Mormon undertaking, called the $1ion's
Ia 1S,.f Fh.
stock Of the onlpany is s., O00,0OO and the
sales between $, ,ooo, 900 and s., 600, ooc, It
is n.ore proper, however, to call this q
joint stock corporation, although it's re-
suits have been somewhat similar to those
reached by the wholesale cooperative
stores Of England.
Later in time there has been developed
that form Of cooperation known as pro-
duct.ve. Or the twenty companies in New
England, sixteen are in Mass achusetts
There are eleven in Ohio, seven in Indiana,
fourteen il Illinois, four in Michigan
nine in Missouri and two in Kansas.
Productive cooperation seams to have
struck more deeply in the West than else
where.
OF more Importance is the form Of pro-
duction which cooperation has taken In
New England there are seven cooperative
shoe companies, three printing companies
ants TWO furniture companies. Five other
have been just organ zed, and
it is estimated that in this year there wall
De a business OF more than a million dol
lars. The most success sful perhaps is the
stove company in Stonehaul. Mass, which
has an annual product OF $4,000, with
capital of $40, 600, divided among fifty-sev.
en- shareholders, twenty-iv of whom are
employed in the establishment. There
ere at least 1,1G0 shareholders in these
twenty associations, and if we take INTO
those which have rot re-
ported it is safe to say that 10000 persons
are interested in cooperation IN New En-.
gland
IL the West more kinds Of Industries
are represented in cooperation. In 1896
there were at least seven cooperative
mining companies in operation liz Indiana,
Illinois and Missouri. Three Of them,
with a combined capital Of SO, 600, are
reported as prosperous; and in those
cases where failure has occurred it has
teen due to the hostile action of the rail-
loads. These companies all originated
ether from strikes or disaffectlon with
wages. The furniture makers have en-
joyed considerable success OF their five
4AACt Lch4USS, UuS udGSS UdCh W lOtSs GuIec
If them are situated in St. Louis. The
greatest success has been achieved by the
,oopers in Minneapolis. The history of
heir work is Of common report. Tbafr one
hop Of 1874 has increased to eight
Farmers have done little With product
We cooperation. The few AGRICULTURAL
oloniss are as yet expert meYtal, but co:
operative creameries are common in New
England, New York aud Ohio. 1t is esti-
mated that about one-fourth of the dairy !
ng in some counties of the latter State is
arried on in the cooperative form.
This completes the review of what has
'een done in cooperation thus far in the |
United States. In conclusion it may be
aid that this experience shows that the
store can be made success
ul, but that as yet cooperation with div
tends to labor is, except in Minneapolis,
q such tentative condition that no def
lite Judgment can be given. In addition
o the forms Of corporation mentioned |
here should be added to make complete
aQuiry, cooperation banks and building
ocieties.
Strange Capture of g. Hare.
In the London Zooloyist Mr. Murray A.
"a atheW des cribes what he calls "a strange
apture Of a hare" A neighb Dor of his in
'em brokeshire was crossing one of his
elds late in the evening when he heard a
G1n i,- %1,N